Good. Just two questions, Miss Kostel, if Mister Klud allows. Without revealing the identity of the buyer, was it his first deal with you? And did you notice anything strange, despite the fact that he was trying to get your attention focused on his hat and glasses?
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Amaria grows a bit angry that this man won't cooperate.
"Evidence of a crime? Very well. The tools were found at the site of several disturbed graves. It appears the tools were used to torture a human, including removing the skin of that person's face. I say torture because the amount of blood wouldn't come from a dead body. The fact that this was done by disturbed graves leads me to think of cultists more than surgeons, so unless you want your business associated with protecting individuals committing such acts, I would suggest you tell us what we need to know. And as I said, I am a paladin - not a gossip-monger. You can know that I do not lie and will do my best to keep your confidences if you are on the side of justice."
Bert keeps glancing to Vivian and then Amaria, trying to decide which is getting further. He opens his mouth to speak but closes it quickly realizing how poor his past performance has been.
"And," adds the doctor, "I can vouch for this. As a practicing medical professional here in Lepidstadt, I find the use of instruments of healing in such a barbarous manner to be quite troubling, to say the least!" He pauses and leans in closer. "As I need to replace many of my own chirurgical implements, your cooperation in this manner would go a long way toward persuading me to purchase them from your establishment rather than a rival's..."
Vladka answers Vivan's questions first, "I don't recall doing business with the man before, but I'm not the only agent that works here. If he was attempting to divert my attention with his hat and glasses, it worked because I don't remember much else about him. He had a local accent, if that's any help."
Mr Klud becomes a bit indignant at Amaria's attitude, "Well, Miss, if I was the proprietor of a weapons shop and sold weapons to someone who used them in a murder, would I be liable for said crime? I think not. Since you have reminded me of this fact, I now say bring an officer of the law with the proper paperwork and I'll release the information!"
The standoffish man eyes narrow slightly at Stefan and he drums his fingers on a nearby table, "Hmm, well, how large of a purchase were you considering, sir?"
Ah, a businessman! An appeal to his purse might be what this situation calls for!
"Why, at least four complete sets of surgeons' tools. If I'm satisfied with the quality, then another six sets when I take on apprentices. Plus, I would recommend your precision instruments to my professional colleagues..."
Theres a smirk on Vivian's face.
I should have asked his price.. I must be too tired. Merchants are some kind of thieves too sometimes. Let's hope Amaria won't take it too badly, after the man protesting about his "honesty". I have no troubles about greasing a few palms if that gets the job done.
"Four sets of surgeon's tools. All right, that will come up to 1200gp. It'll take around a week to procure them all, but we prefer an upfront payment on the lot. I believe we have one set currently in stock, so I could provide it to you now, the rest in a week." Mr. Klud says expectantly.
Three hundred a set? They'd better be made of mithril!
The doctor places his hand on his coin purse, letting the sound of the coins jingle a bit. He ponders a moment. "I don't carry that amount of coin on my person, especially at night. Let me propose this: As a gesture of good faith, I'll purchase one set right now, on the condition that you disclose the identity of the person about whom we have inquired. I will meet with my solicitor in the morning to draft a formal purchase contract for the remainder."
Klud clicks his tongue with distaste at Doctor Von Herzog's offer, "It doesn't appear that you are serious about these purchases, so I will wish you all farewell so we may begin our business day." He turns his attention back to his ledger and dismisses the group with a light wave of his hand.
According to local laws, only one person per day can present one piece of the evidence. So, if you want to present two pieces of evidence on the same day, two people will have to present it. You'll be required to explain in character why the evidence is important and make a DC 20 Diplomacy check to convince the justices to consider your argument. If you do a good job of testifying (i.e., you roleplay an impassioned plea about the evidence presented or you add colorful descriptions about how it was found and the perils encountered), you can get a +2 to the check. You also can get a bonus to the roll from convincing evidence, but I won't reveal what is the most compelling, you'll have to work that out yourselves.
Magic is strictly banned in court, with a officer of the court called The Holy Sister of Justice constantly scanning the room with Detect Magic.
Anyone not presenting evidence will be assumed to be present watching the trial, unless you request otherwise.
There are six of us, and a few clues. First, the villagers saw someone-they assumed it was the fabled Beast-roaming in the vicinity by night, and pursued him. The Beast went through the water, and was bitten by an animal, leaving some blood behind it. But the fact is, one, there was no scar caused by a gator on the Beast, and two,the Beast is a kind of golem, a creature animated by magic that cannot bleed. And probably, doesn't need to breathe either, am I right Stefan?
Because, secondly, we found an abandoned coracle, marred with blood, near the isle. If it was the Beast, it could have swam under the water, even wounded, and it wouldn't need a boat. We found inside the boat some artisan's outfit and a cut-off human face.Odd.
We found in a bag some human sized knives, and a rusted lantern.And the remains of a potion of darkvision. No one has ever saw the Beast using knives, and the golem can already see through the dark, so he need neither the lantern nor the potion.
We have these costly medical instruments too, bought here in Lepidstadt. No one could see the Beast buying these, even through a chain of buyers, who have never described us someone looking like the Beast. I even suppose the Beast's hands are too big and too clumsy to use these carefully. At least carefully enough to cut a man's face out of his skull without damaging the skin so much as to make it useless.
And finally, six tombs are empty, on the little cemetery. As far as we know, the Beast has never been accused of eating the dead... yet. Did I forgot something? Everyone will have to speak at the trial, so let's put our brains together and rehearse our speeches, if needed.
Tara glances nervously to Bert and begins to fiddle with the hem of her shirt. "Um, I'm not really the best public speaker. I could perhaps present some of the weaker evidence?" She mumbles out, obviously flustered as she speaks up.
Bert nods at Tara agreeably.
"I'll try not to mess things up but I am willing to say what needs to be said. I think the Beast is innocent of this attack, at least." Bert says.
Maybe it would be better if you present the most obvious evidence, Tara, and let those who have the greatest gift of gab present the lesser evidence. Then, I don't want to push you, so you will do the thing you're the most confortable doing.
"I would be happy to present the surgical tools, and how the Beast could not have purchased them, and that whomever used the instruments on that man's face would have needed training and ability: things the Beast lacks."
At the courtroom, Tara has to actively remind herself how to breath in order to remain calm. As the others step forward to present their evidence, the young cleric feels her heart race and face flush. Finally it is her turn to present the potion. Fumbling her way to the center of the assembly, Tara freezes in place for a moment as sees all the bored faces. "Ah, um, Your Honors, as the other ladies and gentlemen before me have presented, Saban could not have possibly been responsible for the deaths at Morsat." Wincing as the crowd begins to heckle her, Tara takes a deep breath before continuing, "This is because while investigating an abandoned camp, an vial with residue of darkvision was found. Now, Your Honors, you may notice that Saban is not human." Gesturing to the Beast, Tara offers Saban a weak smile. "This is because he is, in fact, a golem. And like most golems, Saban already has the ability to see in the dark. It would not make sense for a dwarf, who has the ablitiy to navigate pitch black tunnels, to drink a potion that grants them this ability, just as it makes no sense for Saban to drink one." Taking a slight bow at the end of her speech, Tara joins the others, waiting to see how they did at presenting the evidence that they uncovered.
The group leaves the auction house and begins to make its way to the courthouse for the first day of the trial. As you walk along, you sort out who is going to present evidence that day, with Sophie abstaining.
A signficant crowd is gathered around the Punishing Man in front of the courthouse, and a carnival atmosphere engulfs the entire grounds of the building. Pushing your way through the crowds, you meet with the clerks to submit the evidence you will present. Amaria will testify that Flesh Golems do not bleed, Vivian will mention the empty graves found, Bert will present the sack and the strange objects within it, Tara will testify about the Darkvision potion, and finally Stefan will bring up the instruments. With the remaining time, you converse with Barrister Kaple about the evidence and he quickly works up a courtroom strategy.
As 10:00am rolls around, the other members of the court arrive followed by the three justices in black coaches with several guards in attendance. Those of you testifying are then sequestered from the courtroom in the defense chambers, but can still hear the trial from the adjacent room. Sophie sees the whole trial from her position in the courtroom and can relate all of the following later.
The three justices are introduced in order of seniority. The Chief Justice is Ambrose Khard who is a dour man in his 80's, while Justice Kasp Aldaar moves with military precision, suggesting that he has a background as an officer. The third Justice is recognizable as Embreth Daramid, the older woman who secretly requested your assistance in the Beast's defense.
Also present in the courtroom is the gray-robed figure Holy Sister of Justice who keeps watch that magic is not used in the courtroom. The Herald of the Court stands nearby as well, clad in black half-plate armor with a full-face visor to keep his identity secret. As the trial moves along, it's clear that his role is to call out official announcements with the striking of a great gong, calling witnesses, keeping order in the court, and protecting the justices.
The trial is rounded out with the three older clerks you spoke to yesterday when you declared yourselves as members of the defense, Defense Barrister Kaple, and the well-groomed Prosecutor Otto Heiger and his trio of advisors.
The courtroom seating and upper galley is packed with townfolk eager to see the trial. Indeed, Sophie nearly does not get a seat except for a helpful young man who surrenders it in deference to her age.
As nearby bells ring out 10:00 am sharp, a trio of guards lead the dejected Beast into the court and shackles it to the large iron chair in the center of the courtroom. The court erupts with jeers at the sight of the grotesque creature, and it takes the Herald several minutes to restore order.
About 10 minutes later, the Chief Justice Khard commences the proceedings in a deep, commanding voice by laying out the rules of the court in a lengthy speech, interspersed with gong-strikes by the Herald. Khard concludes his speech by announcing that the good people of Lepidstadt have suffered many acts of terror and barbarity at the hands of the Beast of Lepidstadt for many years, and that while the Beast is doubtless responsible for numerous murders, the prosecution will focus on three recent cases to prove the Beast’s guilt during this trial.
At 10:30am, opening statements begin. Prosecutor Otto Heiger outlines his case by alleging that the Beast is responsible for the murder of 10 people in the village of Morast a year ago, in addition to two other horrendous crimes that will be described as the trial continues. Barrister Gustav Kaple then makes his case for the Beast’s innocence, a half-hearted attempt full of stutters and awkward pauses, all the while being jeered and booed by the baying mob in the gallery.
Around 11:00am, witnesses for the Prosecution are called to testify. Heiger first brings three locals from Morast, two young women and a man, to the stand. The trio describes events as they saw them happen—that over a series of nights, the Beast came to the village and took people away; that a trap was finally laid for the Beast; that the Beast was driven into the swamp, and, they assumed, killed. Otto then calls the village elder, Lazne, who led the mob that drove the Beast off. He confirms the events related by the other three villagers. Furthermore, Lazne specifically identifies the animal that attacked the Beast in the graveyard as a blood caiman, which is just a specific type of crocodile that is indigenous to the area.
An hour and a half later, the Prosecution finishes and the Justices ask the Defense to call its witnesses. Stuttering terribly, Kaple first asks that the Herald call Tara Eliade. To the crowds boos, Tara enters the courtroom and gives her testimony, heckling her as expected when she pauses. After finishing her presentation, she is dismissed to more jeering. The Justices give no hint of their opinion of her evidence behind their stony faces of objectivity.
Bert stands and walks into the courtroom when called. He clears his throat and speaks, "Your honors, I present to you a bag we found in our search for evidence around Morast. This bag, as you can see, is sized for a man, like me, but would be a pouch for the beast you see before you. Inside were rope, a gag, a lantern a trio of heavy knives and a rusted shovel." Bert brings the items out of the bag as he mentions them.
"Now, while these items don't in themselves mean much, as the beast could use them, please, again, notice the size. A knife for you and me, would be much too small for the beast. The lantern, explained by one of my other companions, would be unnecessary as the beast can see in the dark, like you and I in the light. The rope and gag seem at odds with the testimony of the witnesses and again, probably unnecessary to a beast with as much size and strength as he has. This evidence points to a someone more man sized than something so large being involved." Bert bows his head as he finishes.
Bert presents his evidence next. Although he tries his best, neither the crowd nor the Justices seem very impressed with his testimony. He too is jeered out of the courtroom, which delays the trial for a few minutes as the Herald and Chief Justice do their best to impose order.
Sophie approaches the judges. She looks out of place in the courtroom, but she does not look uncomfortable and she stands confidently. "We found this coracle in the swamp as well. There are blood stains in the bottom of it. As you can see it is much too small for Saban. It contained an oar, a moldy travel bag, and these craftsman's clothes. Finally, it contained this," she calmly presents the face, "which is much too delicate a task for one with hands and fingers the size of Saban's."
-Posted with Wayfinder
Judges,as you can already see, Saban, the golem previously known under the "Beast of Lepidstadt" nickname, wasn't the criminal hunted by the villagers. Someone else tried to use his fame, and the fact that no one knew exactly what Saban looked like, to hide his own nefarious deeds and put the blame on him. We've shown that a golem doesn't need a potion to see in the dark, wouldn't need a lantern either, wouldn't need human-sized tools, like a human criminal would. It is well known that, when the so-called "Beast" was arrested in your University, Judges, several well trained and armed guards were needed to stop him. Would Saban, with all his might, need these?
The redhead display the ropes and gag for the judges and audience to see, then points at the spade
This was used, not by Saban, but by our yet unknown criminal, for one sick blasphemy. We found, on this island, evidence that tombs have been opened, and the graves robbed of their rightful corpses. That particuliar criminal not only kill, but has no respect for the deceased. And when I say he kills... If only he could stop at killing. I will now let the honorable Doctor Stefan Von Herzog, a doctor trained at your own University, speak now, if you don't mind.
She bows
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"Honored Judges, I am Amaria, Huntress of Erastil. As a paladin of Old Deadeye, it is my role to hunt down and destroy the creatures of evil that threaten those who walk in the light. In this role, I have hunted and killed a number of creatures, and I can tell you that each creature leaves a trail - both physical and factual. By that I mean by seeing the victim of violence one can tell if the attacker is a vampire, a wraith, a demon, or a werewolf. A Vampire leaves a corpse with no blood, a wraith leaves a corpse drained of life but with no obvious wounds, a demon will savage a corpse needlessly and devour remains, a werewolf will treat a corpse like a rabid animal."
She then walks over to the flesh golem, standing close to its bound form.
"This thing you call the Beast is, in truth, a magical creature called a flesh golem. If it were to kill something it would bludgeon it to death with fists. This is not how the victim died, which indicates strongly that this creature did not kill the victims. But there is much more of the murder scene that proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that this creature is not the Beast you seek and did not kill the poor victims that night."
Amaria then draws a knife and slashes at the flesh golem several times.
"This creature does not bleed. The Beast that killed the poor victims that day was seen bitten by blood caimen, and bled on gravestones. That beast bled. This creature cannot bleed. Beside the method of the kill made by the Beast that actually killed the victims, the simple fact that this creature does not bleed shows that it did not commit the crime."
Vivian winces when Amaria slashes the Beast, multiple times
You thought about doing it too yourself, Vivian, don't lie. But I would have stabbed it once, it would have been enough. Let's hope "Saban" doesn't react too wildly. Amaria should have explained herself to the golem before the start of this trial, maybe..
Tara lets out cry of shock as Amaria begins to hack at Saban. "What are you doing?! We're suppose to defend him, not hurt him!" Gritting her teeth in anger, Tara's face flushes red as tears well at the corner of her eyes. Tara takes hold of the railing with a white knuckle grip, as her ears begin to ring.
As Sophie presents the cut-off face to the court, the audience audibly groans with disgust. Her testimony does not seem to sway the Justices, but she does hear murmurs of 'witch' from the crowd as she leaves the stand.
Vivian takes her turn next as witness, tying together the testimony of the previous witnesses with her own evidence of grave desecration. Her arguments get some thoughtful nods from the Justices, but the excellent testimony only appears to egg on the crowd and various unkind epithet are hurled at her as she is dismissed.
Amaria comes to the stand next, explaining that since Beast does not bleed, it could not possibly be the offendant chased out to the graveyard. She adds that she cut the Beast earlier and it did not shed blood, and the Beast's guards reluctantly collaborate her story. The Justices also seem to take this testimony to heart, and the crowd once again vocally protests, although with less vigor.
Dr. Von Herzog takes the stand last, testifying to the presence of surgical tools at the Morast graveyard. He notes that it is incredibly unlikely that Saban could have purchased such expensive items and is undoubtedly unskilled in their use. He adds that if the tools were used to remove the face presented by Sophie, the Beast would lack the precision for such a task. Unfortunately, the Justices appear to be zoning out towards the end of his testimony, and the crowd laughs him out of the courtroom.
With all the Defense witnesses called for the day, Chief Justice Khard calls a court recess for the day, and Saban is lead away by his guards to the baying of the crowd.
Barrister Kaple summons you all together in the Defense Chamber before you leave, thanking you profusely for the excellent job you all did despite the unruly, insulting crowd. He also reminds you that tomorrow the trial will be covering events at Hergstag and asks you to investigate that site if you are still up for it.
• The events occurred approximately 7 months ago.
• The Beast states that he was present there at that time. He befriended a young girl named Ellsa who was not frightened by his appearance. He claims that a ghost that walks at night killed a number of children by stealing their souls. The ghost turned one of Ellsa's friends into a ghost and that ghost lured her to its master's lair. The Beast tried to fight the ghost to save Ellsa, but could not hurt it. He then returned Ellsa's body to her Father, but the villagers chased him out of town.
Vivian recalls that Herstag has been abandoned since the attacks 7 months ago
Dr. Von Herzog recalls overhearing in the court that only three of the former inhabitants of Hergstag remain the area. They are sisters named Garrow, Starle, and Flicht who own a small windmall on the outskirts of the city. Also, they will be the witnesses for the prosecution tomorrow.
-Posted with Wayfinder
Your group first pays a visit to the three sisters, the only survivors of Herstag left in the area. The trip to the outskirts of Lepidstadt is fairly quick on horses, taking more time to get the mounts ready than the trip itself.
Knocking on the door of the windmill, you are greeted by a thin woman in her late forties, "Oh dear, there does seem to be a lot of you. Does this have something to do with the trial tomorrow?"
"Oh, okay. Well, come inside." The woman invites you.
In contrast to the witness for Morast, the three witnesses from Hergstag are far more accommodating. The three middle aged sisters invite you to their living room and make you tea as they tell their story. Until the time of the incidents, the three lived their entire lives in Hergstag. Each remembers the deaths and recounts them with some embellishment from the other sisters. The village’s children (Maarten, Karin, Rachel, Gaard, Allen, and Ellsa) vanished one by one, only to return as ghosts. Then one day the culprit was found—the Beast of Lepidstadt. It boldly walked into the village with one of the dead children, a girl named Ellsa. The witnesses all recall seeing the Beast laughing as it carried the child’s broken body. As soon as the locals saw the Beast, they set upon it with pitchforks, but try as they might they couldn’t catch it, and the Beast escaped into the swamp. The poor innocents it killed continued to haunt the village, and before long became too much for the locals, who soon abandoned the cursed village.
You sense they are leaving some information out of their story.
Based on your interview with the Beast, you remember that he looks like he is laughing when he is actually crying. This is due to the crude stitching that makes up part of his face.
"We've all had times when it seemed prudent to leave out parts of a story... Is this one of those times, ladies?" She pauses for a moment. "While you mull that over, did you know that the stitches on the beast's face make it appear that he is laughing whenever he cries?"
-Posted with Wayfinder
We are listening. We don't want to influence you, but at the trial, the judges need to hear the truth. Maybe the truth will exonerate the Beast of Lepidstadt of the crimes he's accused of, maybe it will prove he's guilty. But the judges will need the whole story. The murdered children need to be avenged, but we must find the real murderer for that.
"My dear ladies, I understand that these events are traumatic to recall. I certainly understand how horrible it must be to relive the memories. But, is there anything else that you remember that you could tell us?"
"Well..." Starle reluctantly begins to admit, "There is one other thing."
The woman then reveals that of the six children who died, one—a girl named Karin—died in her own bed 2 days after the Beast was driven from Hergstag. Her father heard her screaming but by the time he reached her she was dead, without a mark on her and with no signs of entry.
"That is telling. Were there signs of entry at the other deaths? Any marks on the bodies to indicate how they died?"
-Posted with Wayfinder
"Most of the children just disappeared without a trace and came back as ghosts, their bodies weren't found. I don't know if Ellsa had any marks, we all assumed the Beast broke her." Garrow replies to Sophie's question with a pained sigh.
Concluding your interview with the three sisters, the group next heads to the village of Hergstag. After an hour's journey to the northwest of Lepidstadt, you arrive at what's left of the place anyway. The first thing you notice is that is absolutely overgrown with corn. Indeed, the thick stalks are as high as an adult man's head and obscure most everything. You can make out some buildings to the west, and a low hill to the southwest, but even a formerly well trod path into the village disappears in wall of corn.